Morning Star, 4E404 - Never thought I'd meet you here "Your companion for tonight is here," Madam Wilhemina ushered Rook into the room Lena was in. "This room is yours for twenty four hours, or longer if you wish it," she smiled. "We do not skimp on time. Do ring for room service for refreshments."
She left, with a glance of encouragement towards Rook. He gave her a curtly nod and turned to Lena. "Good evening, My Lady."
...
"I never knew you had an alternative occupation," Lena was looking at Rook with interest once they were alone. He wore his usual mage's coat and had his staff at the hip - not the look she had imagined for an escort. "I am not lecturing or complaining, but I am surprised, to say the least..."
"Surprised?" A slight offence in Rook's voice made her sit up. "Should I demonstrate?" He started unbuttoning his coat, not taking his eyes off her, and she blushed to the roots of her hair.
"I didn't mean it that way..." she managed to say. "I... please forgive me." She jumped up from the bed and hugged him. "I've seen you naked already, so I know what's underneath," she pulled away, still blushing. That had been very awkward of her! "Please sit down, there's fresh coffee..."
"Alright," Rook smiled, sitting down and proceeding to load his coffee with cream. "Why am I here?"
"Scorpio is missing," Lena said in a near whisper. "Been missing for weeks."
"And naturally you came to a brothel looking for him." It was Rook's turn to tease.
"Rook!"
"Wolf?"
"Umm... yeah, I know how it looks."
"No, you don't," Rook was watching her, sipping his coffee. "It looks like you should have called me as soon as he disappeared, but instead you tried to solve it on your own, and as a result we lost a good month to your obstinence. When you didn't make contact within the first week, I enlisted here because sooner or later I knew you'd come looking. Fortunately, there wasn't much work for me in the meantime... This isn't really what I do."
"I am sorry," Lena knew he was right. But then, something he said... "How did you know that Scorpio disappeared?"
"Word around town," he shrugged. "He was popular with the court, so the gentry and mostly the guards were talking about it all day long. Then he vanished. That didn't go unnoticed. As well as your friendship with Sven. Word is, you are engaged to be married."
"
WHAT?!" Lena's coffee went flying.
"No? Well, one shouldn't take rumours at face value," Rook grinned. "But everyone thinks it is the logical thing to do, you two being of the same age and standing..."
"Rumours are getting out of control," Lena said grimly.
"As rumours always do, pay it no mind." Rook sat his cup down. "Tell me what you've found out."
"Not much," Lena sighed. "I learned that the Legion releases the pawns once the dragon is slain, which means that Scorpio is no longer bound to me. He can come and go as he pleases... he could be anywhere."
"Which also means that he could be abducted and forcibly held somewhere without the Legion coming after the perpetrators," Rook looked at Lena with significance. "They couldn't do it while he was in your service, they'd have the Legion to answer to. But now it's another matter. They could kill him and the Legion would not respond. There are always more pawns. You'd just have to pick someone else when the dragon next appears."
Lena shuddered at the thought.
"What about you?" She was trying to get her head around it. "You have no master."
"Except for the Legion, of course," Rook smirked, rubbing a glowing mark on his hand, the mark of a pawn. "I could be recalled to guide a new Arisen, for that is my job... There's always a new Arisen somewhere..." He looked wistful. "But until then I'm yours to command, My Lady."
He leaned back in his chair waiting for Lena to decide their next move.
"It's late and my head is spinning," she suddenly realised just how tired she was. "I don't want to go back to the castle... Stay with me, please..."
"Of course, that is why I am here."
Rook got up and started incanting a spell. Lena fell back on the cushions and breathed a sigh of relief. She slept without dreams that night.
...
Lena was woken up by a sun ray streaming through the gap in the curtains, the morning seemed to be well underway. She looked around, shaking off the sleepiness. Rook was lying next to her, reading a book. Neither of them wore any clothes.
"I don't remember undressing... What happened?" Lena rubbed the back of her neck - she had not been knocked out again, surely?
"You fell asleep and I had to make sure we didn't look out of place here," Rook shrugged. "You remember where we are, right? This is a brothel."
"But I thought Wilhemina had said this room was secure..."
"Meaning that it has fewer peepholes than the others," Rook smirked. "Plus, there's the maid. We've got fresh coffee." He got up to pour Lena a cup. "But worry not - for Wilhemina knows what's good for her. I simply wanted to ensure that the maid would not be wondering about Her Majesty not making use of her escort. That would have looked suspicious."
"But the fact that Her Majesty's escort is actually her old friend - that wouldn't look suspicious?"
"Nah, they've seen all sorts." He took Lena's cup from her as she finished her coffee, set it aside, returned to Lena and kissed her. And before she could utter any surprise or protest, he whispered into her ear: "Remember the peepholes..." A minute later she had no wish to protest.
...
"What do we do next?" Lena was watching Rook fussing with jugs of hot water to ensure the bath was of exactly the right temperature.
"Next I take you out for a walk," he put down the jugs, satisfied. "After the bath. You need to get some colour into your cheeks."
"Oh, I think you've managed that already," she grinned, seeing this entirely new side of Rook. "Is that standard practice for an escort to take their clients out for a walk?"
"It may be... it depends," Rook answered matter-of-factly. "It depends on the client. We aim to please."
She stared at him for a moment, then sank deeper into the tub.
"It's not that different to walking with an Arisen," Rook said softly. "Pawns are the ones who know what needs doing, yet it is the Arisen who calls the shots. We are here to serve, yet we are often superior to our masters... Many masters scorn that. Not every Arisen treats us well... but I think you have an inkling of that."
"I think you are superior to most people, to be honest," Lena mused. "And not just in combat... Do you like being an escort?"
"I might have liked it if I got to choose my clients... but it doesn't work that way," he smirked.
"We need our freedom back, both of us," Lena said through clenched teeth. "We need to find Scorpio too... but I have no idea where to start..."
"You started already, this is the right approach," Rook objected. "It is all in the royal court. The Rose caters only for the gentry, every person of standing comes here sooner or later. And now that I got picked by Her Majesty herself, my fee has been doubled. Oh, have no illusions - the word has already spread," he smirked, noticing Lena's surprise. "Your patronage here brings more clients to Wilhemina, and she in turn may reveal a thing or two to you when she trusts you enough. She has an eye for people, you cannot buy her trust."
"You seem to respect her."
"I do," Rook nodded. "She runs a business, to be sure, but she treats us well... and doesn't stand for... well... certain practices that some clients are fond of. I wish the Legion cared for pawns as much..." His voice trailed off, then he caught himself. "But you don't want to hear those tales, I'm sure. I am glad to have met you. Friends are rare among us pawns."
Finding Rook employed as an escort specifically so that she would stumble upon him when she ran out of leads in her search, had a sobering effect on Lena. Just how far was he willing to go for friendship? For Rook was married, his heart belonged to Benita, yet instead of returning to her, he linguered in this world in order to help his friends... Had he expected that Scorpio would get into trouble once Lena was established as the Sovran? He probably had. Had Scorpio himself expected that? Yes, for certain. But still, neither of them could prevent it. It was now up to Lena to act. "Pawns know what needs to be done, but it is the Arisen who calls the shots." Rook's words resonated in her mind.
...
"Am I permitted to walk in the town outside the castle walls?" Lena looked at Rook with uncertainty when he suggested a walk along the pier. "I was under the impression that the Sovran was supposed to stay put..."
"Well, yes, but there's no law against walking in town either," he winked. "Besides, you have escort, My Lady. Walking alone might have raised eyebrows, yes, but not when you're being escorted."
"I shall never understand these practices..." Lena rolled her eyes, accepting his arm. "Sven has been running off to town all on his own for years."
"Sven is a young man," Rook objected. "He can walk on his own... But on the flipside, he could not have anyone from The Rose escort him in public - that would be a scandal. While for a lady it is a perfectly natural thing to do..."
It felt good to stroll through town again and not be caged in the Castle Gardens. They went to the market and to the armoury, to the Pawn Guild and to the inn, greeting the shopkeepers that they used to frequent in the Times of Hunting the Dragon. Heads turned and glances followed them around, whispers were exchanged behind their backs, but Lena didn't care what was being said. An illusion of freedom tasted sweet, too.
"I wonder what the talk of the town will be on the morrow," she said when they sat down for a drink at the tavern. "That Her Majesty dropped Regentkin Sven in favour of an escort from The Rose? Or that the escort from The Rose was in fact one of Her Majesty's most loyal pawns?"
"Probably both," Rook shrugged. "And also that Her Majesty took as long as a month to find herself a new escort since her previous one disappeared..."
"No one had any illusions then, right from the start."
"Of course not."
Returning to the castle grounds, Lena fully expected that Rook would have to turn back since pawns were generally not allowed beyond the castle gate. And indeed, a guard on duty watched their approach, but instead of stopping them, he gave a nod to Rook and allowed them to proceed.
"I shall accompany you to your chambers," Rook said to Lena. "The word had already been sent. You can call for me whenever you wish, or come to The Rose... I should be glad to see you."
They walked in silence for a few minutes - Lena felt stunned.
"I don't understand... You have been assigned as my consort..?" The suddenness and absurdity of it completely confused her.
"Your escort," Rook corrected her. "You can have another, if you prefer."
"No, I don't prefer!" She cried, then hushed herself - raised voices were frowned upon on the castle grounds. "I don't prefer another," she repeated in a hiss. "It's just... this is so strange... you are my friend... but also... and no one thought to ask me on the matter..."
"Your actions were clear enough, My Lady," Rook smirked. "I am to be your escort until you pick another. If you were pleased with my services, that is..."
They were walking through a colonnade flanked by rows of rose bushes dense enough to hide anyone from view. Lena quickly pulled Rook behind the bushes into an alcove of the castle wall.
"I may be confused by the courtly intrigue but if this is how the game is played, then you'll find me a willing player." She kissed him and got a kiss in response. "You got yourself a client, you can tell Wilhemina that. I don't want to find you engaged when I call."
"Exclusivity will be expensive."
"Lord Chancellor will have to foot the bill."
...
"Such passion!" Rook wiped his brow, still panting. "You're a fury not just with goblins. And you're the coldest assassin, too... I never imagined..."
"You'll see it one day, I'm sure," Lena smiled, cooling off. "Scorpio discovered it quite early on, way before we became close. I expected him to leave, but he stayed... for some reason..."
"He couldn't leave - he was bound to you."
"I offered to release him but he refused."
"Interesting..." Rook pulled her close and kissed her again. "I see what Benita meant... She said your heart would burn the dragon from the inside for swallowing it... You're not just another Arisen."
"How could she have known? I am not from that world."
"Perhaps this is something we'll both discover one day. Come, I'll take you to your chambers. It's time to return to the Courtly Intrigue, My Lady. The world has changed today."